#1 Vacuum for Carpet Cleaners-KIRBY VS DYSON (W/VIDEO)

[rob allen]

Wow. That's a pretty extensive review.

Thanks!

 

[owenscott]

Back from the dead .... i got this off a link posted in
http://www.truckmountforums.com/for...ery-discussion/8069-vacuum-cleaner-blues.html

Went to an ad in the news paper for a job cleaning carpets ... store front was bad and as i walked i saw a guy missing teeth and smelled of cigarettes sitting behind a card table. Store had spots stains all over the carpets.

I started filling out an application and decided all they were doing is trying to steal my identity ... on the way out i saw a book on how to sell Kirby vacuums ... LAME... brand is definitely tarnished because of an experience like that.

Anyways .... in the above post it kept saying see pictures but i saw no pics ... did i miss them?

 

[Jim Martin]

.....in reality...true testing begins with you.....never ever trust others results...most testing has way to may variables to deal with.......with the things that I have to deal with in this dust bowl town ..still the Dyson has out preformed them all...now that is not saying the Kirby is a bad vacuum at all.....but like some equipment...wands...pre-sprays..etc.....it just did not preform like I would of liked it to......this kinda reminds me of the rug doctor getting the gold label....just plain common since would tell anyone that it is all about money and not performance....ooorrrr...do you actually believe there testing results........stay tuned......

 

[TCS]

Rob i am impressed! I was just thinking of doing a similar test but it looks like you did all the hard work. Those are the facts and i couldnt have said it better myself. The reality is that the dyson and other big box vacs do not pick up as much dirt. Period. As my demo illustrates in the other thread, the dyson leaves dirt in the carpet. For $500+ thats unacceptable.
Now to be fair, i wouldnt say that the kirby is my favorite to use. The fact that it cleans better than a dyson, is just that...a fact.
I have never sold Kirby vacuums nor do i endorse them in any way. Ive been fixing and selling vacs for 10 yrs now and have learned a lot about all of them, thats all.
There are other factors that go into a good vacuum but i wont get into that.

PS-somebody in this thread mentioned "new" electrolux!? The machines with the electrolux decal are Eureka brand machines now. Dont be fooled.

 

[Jim Martin]

you all get that Kirby and that rug doctor together and you should be un-stoppable cleaners......haha

 

[farleycarpet]

you all get that Kirby and that rug doctor together and you should be un-stoppable cleaners......haha

Thanks Jim that's my new slogan hahahahahahahahahaha

 

[rob allen]

Jim that was hilarious. I almost fell off my chair. But let me ask you, have you ever used the Kirby with the bagless set up? It makes a huge difference in airflow.

 

[Jim Martin]

no I have not used the bagless one yet........

who has them .where can I find one..........

 

[Rafa-L]

come on guys......life is too short to spend $1000 on a vacuum that will pick up someone elses' poop., then you go to the next job and pile more poop on top of the first, then you go to the third job and pile more poop on top of the first and second poop....go home wash the poop off and start again the next day.

Thanks but no thanks. $100 is all you should pay for a vacuum.....(as an ole timer that has been around for centuries been school'ing me)

Vacuum repair shops are the biggest scam there is.

buy a decent sucking upright vac from powerflite that are warranted for 1 year....($119+$20 shipping model PF70VC mention mailer code J94P-J4P3B) and when it goes bad, change the motor or hold on to another mailer code and buy another one.....



respectfully nice review Rob.....gotta give it to you man....you are a genuine go getter....you'll always survive in any field.

 

[Rafa-L]

for you guys that don't know how to clean a stinky vacuum bag (good god almighty).....hose it down in and out...spray or pour 1 cup of the cheapest Enzyme Digester you can find ($8-$12 gal) surrounding the inner lining of the bag...let it dry over night and the next time you use the vac the fragrance of the enzme will permeate the next few homes/offices.



forgot to mention.....this works well for shake out bag vacuums......it should also work on replaceable bag vacuums as well as dirt cup vacuums.


cheers

 

[ericthered]

Made in the USA

I think any vacuum made in the USA is the best. I personally own a Riccar supralite, and it is loud and awesome.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=weLNdOtLw7k&feature=player_embedded#

 

[farleycarpet]

I've been using the same kirby for 3 years now with no problems

 

[Rafa-L]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weLNdOtLw7k"]YouTube - Riccar Vacuums - Made In the USA[/ame]




btw- Tacony owns Riccar , Powerflite , Nancy Notion, and a host of other companies.....so don't surprise yourself with these different vacuum NAMES.....they are all basically almost the same vac but different colors, style, cord size, etc......

read this:

http://www.tacony.com/about-us/growth/

 

[Jim Martin]

Jim that was hilarious. I almost fell off my chair. But let me ask you, have you ever used the Kirby with the bagless set up? It makes a huge difference in airflow.

does this vacuum even exist..and if so...where......

 

[bullets]

the kirby company themselves do not make a bagless version of thier machine however, there is a fellow on ebay that sells an aftermarket attachment so you can go bagless.

if you have ever seen a kirby demo, the machines are never used with bags on them, rather the dirt meter as they are called.
there are 2 reasons for this.............

1) so the prospective customer can see aqll the dirt coming out of thier carpets.

and

2) the so called dirt meter creates almost zero restriction on the air flow, therefore much more air moving equals much more dust and dirt moving.

the bagless gizmo works on the same principle!

there is no denying the kirby is a great vacuum, bag or no bag. its very unfortunate, there are a bunch of idiots running around trying to sell them, and doing so using extreme pressure, and all kinds of lines of bull spit!

 

[Jennifer's Cleaning Services]

LOL, I would have to say I don't agree with you on all this. I'm not a Dyson lover but user and I'm always looking for something better.

In test #1 there is NO sharp corners anywhere on a dyson DC14 tubing. I have used mine for well over 2 years now and NEVER ONCE had it clog. I could see it happen on any vacuum if you don't properly maintain it. I clean and sanitize mine between every job..
In test #2#3#10 come on now. This dyson has LOTS of suction. If your readings were correct compared to a DC14 then a Kirby wouldn't it be impossible to use? It would suck the carpet so hard it wouldn't allow any air to flow. I used several Vacuums in my day and the Dyson is at the top of suction compared to others I've used. Kirby may have more but the Dyson has Plenty.
In test #4 I can't see the Dyson not picking up more. One thing with the DC14 that you probably don't know is when you lean it back to vacuum 9 times out of 10 it doesn't lock in place therefore leaving the plate higher off the ground and losing suction. You have to actually push it down and lock it in place. So maybe that happened to you. I have seen this happen on 3 different dysons.
In test #5 reliability/durability, the dyson may be made of plastic but its not cheap, trust me. I transport mine all over and never had 1 single piece break. I even bang on the empty canister everyday to knock the loose dust out and it still never broke or even cracked for that matter. In 2 years and lots and lots and lots of vacuuming it only had a clutch go out and thats probably cause when I 1st got it I would switch the roller on/off without 1st putting it in stand up mode. Which destroys the clutch. So to me it has been VERY RELIABLE.
In test #6 It took you 19 seconds to go from vacuum mode to putting on a duster tool. What did you take a smoke break in between? This is the #1 reason why I use this vacuum everyday. No other vacuum is as convenient as this to my knowledge. To go from vacuum mode all you need to do is lock it in stand up mode, what 1 second, then grab the duster tool which is right on the canister, another second, then place it on the hose handle, another second and then pull out the handle, another second. So total 4 seconds maybe 5 if you screw up. Being this fast to go from vacuum mode to having a long hose in seconds you can now reach in any corner or underneath any piece of furniture. Lets see the Kirby do that.
It was at this point in your testing that I knew something was fishy. I always had a bad impression on Kirbys for there sales tactics. According to your tests its a good vacuum, which it may be, but I never gave it a chance due to its image. It may beat out the dyson on most areas but for me I like its convenience and suction. I know it doesn't leave as much dirt on the floor as you were saying. Myself and customers alike are shocked when I show them the canister full of dirt. Some homes I even fill it up twice and thats even doing it twice a month. It would probably get even more if it wasn't regularly vacuumed.
In test #7 the Dyson easily should have one this. You only need 3 tools to do any job which the dyson does with very easy access. Just because the kirby had more doesn't mean its better. You probably would never use them anyway because you don't have easy access to them
In test #8 How can you give that to Kirby just because the dyson has more seals. Just cause there's more doesn't mean they don't work good. You even said a " leading consumer magazine gave them the same ratings" so you just gave it to kirby cause you like it better. Plus some of the seals on the Dyson are before the vacuum so its not like its allowing dirty air to escape if anything its sucking it in and HEPA filtering it. Also there are 10 seals On the DC14 not 7 like you said, so the 3 you were missing would cause a low reading when you were testing the suction & airflow power .

So all in all I think the dyson should have ranked up better compared to the kirby if not better. Also if you would have made more catagories the dyson could have even beaten the kirby. Like ease of Transportation, price or hard surface vacuuming. I think the kirby is prone to scratching hardwood.
The kirby pretty much only beat the dyson in your test by power airflow and suction and I really can't see that being true anyway. I think the dyson has plenty of suction for the everyday use. Also there are better Dysons out there than the DC14 , I don't know if that was the best Kirby or not, But you may have been comparing apples to oranges.

 

[rugslayer]

I love my Kirby. The wife hates my Kirby- too heavy. We use a Nilfisk and pro-team for work, and never pre-vac pee. MJ

 

[dryguy]

Eric Im with you the Riccar out performs any Dyson or Kirby I have been using Riccar for 15 years and still have the first one I bought, I own a total of 4.

 

[J Parks]

The older model Kirby's rock!

 

[ECOPRO]

Ohh yeah... Gonna get me a kirby.